Essential oils / scented oils

Essential oils are effective against bacteria, fungi and viruses, reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system and regenerate the body. Last but not least, they increase joie de vivre, calm the nerves and improve well-being. Quality is crucial: only pure natural essential oils contain all the active ingredients of a plant.

Every plant has active ingredients that help it to grow and thrive. Many of these active ingredients have a similar effect on humans as they do on plants. Essential oils are made from the flowers, bark, seeds and roots of plants. They contain all the active ingredients in concentrated form. However, the term "oil" is not entirely accurate. In contrast to "fatty oils", essential oils do not contain any fats. However, they are fat-soluble.

essential oil revitalizes

Essential oils can be used in many different ways. For example, for flavoring food (aromatic cuisine) and for skin care(natural cosmetics). However, essential oils are most often absorbed through the nose. They are placed in fragrance lamps, dripped onto fragrance sticks or diffused in the room using special aroma diffusers. In this way, the active ingredients enter the body via the nasal mucosa, where the fragrance molecules have an effect on the brain and the limbic system.

Essential oils do not require a medical degree

The French military surgeon Dr. Jean Valnet is considered the founder of modern aromatherapy. He used the findings of herbal medicine and treated wounded soldiers in the Indochina War with essential oils. He achieved remarkable healing successes. After the war, he showed his professional colleagues how to use essential oils in their work.

Among other things, he published a book entitled "Aromathérapie: les Huiles Essentielles Hormones Végétales". It was the first medical book on essential oils and aromatherapy. However, Dr. Jean Valnet repeatedly emphasized that even people without medical training can benefit from the advantages of essential oils - as long as they study aromatherapy intensively and use essential oils carefully.

The production of essential oils

Large quantities of plant-based raw materials are required for the production of essential oils. For example, five kilograms of rose petals for one gram of rose oil. And as much as seven kilograms of lemon balm herb for one gram of lemon balm oil. During production, the plant parts are distilled: The hot steam and gentle pressure release the essential oils from the plant parts. While the steam mixture flows through a condenser and is cooled, the oil separates from the water. It floats to the top and can be skimmed off.

For optimum quality, the temperature and pressure must be perfectly matched. If the heat or pressure is too low, the valuable oil will not be released. If the pressure is too high, the structure and effect of the oil can change. Another method of producing essential oils is cold pressing. In cold pressing, the peels are rasped to open the "oil containers". This process is particularly used for citrus fruits: The oil is washed out with water, centrifuged and filtered. As the harmful substances are not removed during cold pressing, controlled cultivation of the fruit is particularly important.

Only naturally pure essential oils contain all the active ingredients

Many fragrances today are produced synthetically. The products look confusingly similar to bottles of natural essential oils and therefore often mislead consumers. Synthetically produced fragrances are significantly cheaper than natural essential oils. However, they do not contain all the plant substances and therefore cannot develop the full spectrum of effects of essential oils.

Essential oils are a natural product obtained from plants. Nevertheless, a few safety rules must be observed when using them: Essential oils must be diluted with water for ingestion and with a carrier oil for creaming. To prevent allergic reactions, essential oils should also be tested on a small area of skin. For example, essential oils from citrus fruits increase photosensitivity. For this reason, you should avoid the sun after applying citrus oil.

Essential oils in the nursery

Essential oils are also excellent for calming children and making it easier for them to fall asleep. Essential oils must be diluted for small children and babies.Eucalyptus-oregano and tea tree oil can also be too strong in diluted form. Therefore, talk to a medical professional if you want to use essential oils in the nursery.

Only store essential oils in blue, brown or green glass bottles. Store the bottles in a dark, cool place and note the expiration date: most oils can be stored for several years, but some can only be kept for one year. These include essential oils from citrus fruits, needles and tea tree oil.

Essential oils in everyday life

Air purifier

Swiss stone pine, eucalyptus, lavender and tea tree are excellent natural air purifiers. For example in offices, surgeries and living spaces. Scented woods, climate boxes, humidifiers and room fans are ideal for this purpose. Particularly clever contemporaries add a few drops of aromatic oil to the vacuum cleaner bag. Then it not only looks great after cleaning - it smells great too!

Disinfectant

Disinfectants effectively combat bacteria and viruses. But they smell rather unpleasant. Therefore, add a few drops of Swiss stone pine oil, eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil to your disinfectant. This way, your home or office will not smell strongly of alcohol after disinfecting. Instead, it will smell pleasantly soothing or freshly motivating with your favorite fragrance.

In addition to mono fragrances, you can also use ready-made fragrance mixtures for the aromatization of disinfectants. For example, "Fresh Air", "Good Mood" or Winter Magic. Use them to disinfect tables, door handles, toilet lids and all other surfaces and you will kill two birds with one stone. Firstly, you kill bacteria and viruses. On the other hand, you spread a pleasant, fresh fragrance everywhere.